I want to purchase a digital camcorder. I can't decide which media type to get, DVD, MiniDV, or hard-drive. It will be mainly used in auto mode for home movies. I thought that a hard-drive one would be the most convenient, but I can only find JVC ones and they have poor ratings. I want to spend around $500.00. Any suggestions on the best media type will be appreciated. I would also like to transfer some of my old analog tapes to digital. Thanks.

[redsox_mark]

This a European (UK) based forum, so for US model numbers and prices you'd be better off on a US based forum.

My general answer to this question is: You can get good/excellent quality with all these formats, but miniDV still gives the best quality for the money. To convert analogue sources look for models with AV-in. Canon has the best availability of AV-in on moderatly priced camcorders.

[MartinImber]

Mini DV or HDV

[redsox_mark]

Can't get HDV for $500 dollars though.

Thanks for the info. How do I find a US forum?

[redsox_mark]

This site
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/

They have a forum, also an excellent set of reviews. I find it very useful, though for us here we have to translate the model numbers..